Seconds always on back foot at Scott Street

MIDDLETON'S Second XI visited Scott Street to face a Walsden side which had been weakened in recent times due to players leaving. This meant that the home side had only two senior players in their side.

MIDDLETON'S Second XI visited Scott Street to face a Walsden side which had been weakened in recent times due to players leaving.

This meant that the home side had only two senior players in their side.

Middleton skipper Reece Jones won the toss and batted first with his team strengthed by the return of Middleton CC legend Warren Teall to the ranks but they were left in a precarious position at 49 for 3 and Walsden were in the driving seat.

Teall joined his captain in the middle and he played his natural aggressive game and quickly overtook Jones while he waited for the bad ball.

The pair batted well and helped their team recover to 117 until Teall (40) mis-timed an aerial cover drive into the hands of Josh Gale.

Mark Buckley came to the crease and made sure Jones (74) got to his second fifty of the season before taking the attack to the bowlers and in relatively slow fashion he brought his own fifty up in 47 deliveries as Middleton finished on 238 for 6.

In reply Walsden were never really in the hunt for victory once they were 55 for 3 with only four batsmen reaching double figures. Josh Gale top scored with a 63-ball half century before he was run out by Matt Collins in what was a classy piece of fielding at square leg.